The present invention relates to sprinkler heads.
There have been many attempts to provide improved sprinkler heads for irrigation purposes, both commercial and private, large and small-scale. In most systems, the goal is to provide uniform distribution over the largest effective area. Depending on the system design, sprinkler heads can be hung below an elevated water source, as is common in many commercial systems for example where a plurality of water sprinkling heads are hung beneath a water conduit arm which gradually passes over large sections of the area to be irrigated; or they can be mounted above a water source, as is common in a variety of home sprinkler system designs. A factor to be considered in the design of any sprinkler head is the ability to initiate and maintain efficient continuous motion. Stalling sprinkler head motion, either upon start-up or interrupting operation, results in uneven, inefficient, and therefore undesired water distribution. Examples of the variety of sprinkler head designs which have addressed these concerns may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,648 issued to Hait; U.S. Pat. No. 3,034,728 issued to Hruby, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,972 issued to Vikre; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,487,368 and 4,773,594, both issued to Clearman; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,381,960 and 5,950,927 issued to Elliott and McFadden. Despite all previous attempts, there still exists a need for improvements in sprinkler head design which reduce the incidence of stalling and which increase the uniformity and surface area of coverage provided by a given stream of water. It is an object of the present invention to provide reliable sprinkler head start-up without stalling upon application of water pressure. It is another object of the present invention to allow for a wider range of nozzle diameter, and thus a larger range of water flow rates for efficient irrigation with a given sprinkler head design. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a sprinkler head with a main water deflector pad which is self-cleaning of debris. Still another object of the invention is to provide a starter mechanism which, after initial start up of the sprinkler, becomes partially or completely disengaged from the water jet.
The subject invention is a Kick-Starter (KS) which can be readily adapted to a variety of sprinkler head designs to increase start up efficiency, as well as efficiency and uniformity of water distribution during operation of the sprinkler head. The Kick-Starter is incorporated into a sprinkler head comprising a sprinkler body with a water inlet disposed therein, a nozzle orifice in fluid connection with said water inlet, and a water deflecting pad movably attached to said sprinkler body. The Kick-Starter mechanism comprises a KS pass-through hole and a KS deflector in fluid connection with said pass-through hole. The Kick-Starter mechanism is connected to the water deflecting pad in a configuration such that a water jet exiting the nozzle orifice will encounter the KS pass-through hole and contact the KS deflector, whereby the water is redirected at an angle causing a propulsive force that drives said water deflecting pad from its resting position and into increasing engagement with the water jet, and motion of the sprinkler head is thereby initiated. As the water deflecting pad is increasingly engaged by the water jet, the KS pass-through hole is progressively disengaged from the water jet. The Kick-Starter mechanism of the subject invention can be used in connection with a variety of sprinkler head designs, including wobbler type and spinner type sprinkler heads.
In a preferred embodiment, and as specifically exemplified herein, the Kick-Starter is used in connection with a wobbling sprinkler head, which is operable whether facing downward from a water supply conduit or facing upward and mounted above a water supply conduit. The sprinkler head as exemplified herein has a body having a water inlet as well as an attachment for connection to the water supply, and a nozzle for directing a stream of water from the sprinkler body. The wobbler of the sprinkler head used herein for illustration purposes is a main deflector head movably attached to a sprinkler body, the deflector head having a main water deflecting pad or surface positioned to deflect water directed thereagainst from the nozzle. The water deflecting pad has a plurality of main deflector grooves which cause the main deflector head to move responsive to the water being directed there against, and which serve in part to direct the deflected water away from the deflector head. The Kick-Starter is positioned substantially central to the main deflector, and comprises a KS pass-through hole substantially centered in the main deflector""s water deflecting pad, a KS deflector, and a KS shaft, which serves to connect the KS deflector to the back side of the main deflector behind the water deflecting surface. The configuration of this embodiment of the KS shaft and KS deflector is such that as attached to the reverse side of the main deflector, the KS shaft and KS deflector define a KS exit orifice. The Kick-Starter must be configured such that in its resting position, with the water supply off, the KS pass-through hole is substantially aligned with the nozzle orifice. When a sprinkler head having the Kick-Starter is attached to a water supply, and the water turned on, water flows into the sprinkler body through the nozzle and out the nozzle orifice, where it is directed in the general direction of the main deflector. Water will then enter the KS pass-through hole, thereby traveling through the main deflector where it contacts the KS deflector and is thereby deflected out of the KS exit orifice. The KS deflector thus directs the water away at an angle, causing a propulsive force driving the main deflector head from its resting position. As the main deflector head tilts from its resting position, the water deflecting pad of the main deflector is increasingly engaged by the jet of water flowing through the nozzle until the rotational propulsive force becomes large enough to drive the main deflector into its operating motion. Once the main deflector is at its maximum engagement with the water jet exiting the nozzle, the Kick-Starter becomes disengaged or partially disengaged from the jet of water. When the water supply is cut off, the Kick-Starter returns to its original resting position.
Because of the Kick-Starter, a larger range of nozzles can be utilized. It allows for smaller nozzles by increasing and concentrating the starting force (the angle and shape of the KS deflector can be varied as desired depending on sprinkler size and configuration). On the other end of the spectrum, the Kick-Starter allows for larger nozzles by decreasing the perpendicular/near perpendicular resultant forces to the nozzle flange (the size and path of the KS pass-through hole is dependent on the sprinkler size and configuration). The KS skirted area also allows for precise matching/metering of nozzle and starting force (the shape of the KS skirt can be varied depending on sprinkler size and configuration).
The Kick-Starter results in an increase in both the Coefficient of Uniformity and the Distribution Uniformity. This is a result of the Kick-Starter acting as an additional groove trajectory beyond the range of the main deflector grooves (large nozzles). It also allows the main deflector pad grooves to have less offset and therefore throw further than in prior art designs.